Family Photos

So my really awesome friend, Lydia, came to see us and take some family photos of us and all the doggies...here are a few of them:

Halloween - Puppy Style

So this year, Toby was my inspiration for pumpkin carving. It was mostly a last minute decision after I saw that cute email with about 10 dog breeds and pumpkins carved like their heads. I used the shepherd design and modified it slightly because Toby's ears flop over at the tips :-)

What do you think?

Wish us luck!

I have entered Ruby and Duma in the ASPCA's Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month contest for October.

This is the photo I submitted:

and this the description:

"Ruby was adopted from the local pound, after 3 months of recovering from illness, and Duma the cat found us one day. She refused to leave our backyard, then found her way into the house through the dog door. Don't tell anyone, but this cat and dog love to snuggle and give kisses to each other!"

If you want to enter your pets, follow this link: http://www.aspca.org/adoption/adopt-a-shelter-dog-month/asdm-photo-contest.html

2 weeks

Last weekend we were able to get a very good deal on a microchip for the Tob-monster (I will explain his new affectionate nickname shortly). He will get is 4 week booster shot of the distemper/parvo vaccine on Sat. Oct. 17, and then all that is left to finish his transformation to official 'house pet' is to get him neutered. We are planning to wait until the week of Thanksgiving so that I will have enough days off work in a row to supervise him (aka laugh at the poor little guys as he tried to navigate the house with an E-collar, but on the bright side, he will get to attend one, possibly two thanskgiving meals, so it won't be so bad).

On Sunday we visited his other 'grandparents' (aka Dave's mom and dad) and Dave's mom loved him. He was also very polite and didn't jump, or try to lick. He showed everyone (including some of the neighbors) how he plays soccer with a super-sized tennis ball. You can see a video here (this was actually taken at our house before we went to see Dave's parents).

After playing hard, Toby decided it was nap time, but he needed to keep his tennis ball close by :-)



And now to explain my earlier nickname of Tob-monster. So Toby likes to get up early, really early. I consider myself to be a morning person, rarely sleeping past 7am, and usually getting up by 6:30, or as soon as the sun starts shining through the curtains. But Toby has brought a new meaning to 'waking up early'. I am talking about before 5am...no alarm needed anymore. For a day or two, when he heard the radio on the alarm, he would fly (yes, pretty darn close at least) onto the bed and wiggle all over the place until I would get him and take him to the other room. Then he realized he could wake us up, no need to wait for the alarm. So even though I am a little bit tired, I have gotten a lot of things done before work this past week, thanks to Toby! And there is something relaxing about sitting in our guest room, reading a book and snuggling with doggies and kitties :-) I need to remember to bring the camera with me next time!

Tomorrow it will be official

So according to the Humane Society, if you find a dog and no one comes forward to claim it, the dog becomes yours after 7-10 days. I filed the 'found dog' report last Friday morning, and the lady told me that if I didn't hear from anyone by this Friday, he was our dog. I think that is cause to celebrate!

Toby has been such a wonderful addition to our 'zoo'. He doesn't chase cats (only occasionally barks at them to try and play) and he respects his elders (aka Snoopy). Dave and I took him with us last Sunday to meet my parents. Too say that he was a perfect angel at their house would be an understatement...he was truly amazing! He didn't jump, or try to lick, and for that matter, he didn't even seem to care that he was at a new house. He calmly laid down at Dave's feet in the house and waited for us to make the next move. Then he slept in the backyard for about 2 hours, and didn't even try to beg for food. It really is mind boggling that a 6 month old puppy could be so well behaved.
(looking angelic..hehe)
He really enjoys our morning walks and LOVES his toys. Just about every time you look at he, he is carrying something around the house (and on occasion, again, sometimes it is a shoe, so we have gotten better at putting things in the closet and closing the door). Thankfully he doesn't have the desire to 'chew to destroy' only likes to gnaw a little bit and drool a lot! So on the off chance that he does manage to get a shoe, there isn't any damage...just some moisture.

He is no longer afraid of the dog door. By Tuesday he had figured out that it was the ticket to not having an overflowing bladder! He had gone from 7am - 6pm on Monday without going outside, so as soon as Dave got home, he ran out the door and went for a while. Now that we don't have to worry about him being in pain from having to go to the bathroom and not being brave enough to go out on his own, it is much nicer to leave the house.

The only down side to Toby learning how to use the dog door is that he likes to go outside after we have gotten in bed and then he starts barking at random things. So at night, all doggies go outside one last time, then we close the dog door. Thankfully no accidents have occurred.
(burst of energy captured on film)
This Saturday, Toby will meet his other 'grandparents' (Dave's mom and dad) and then we will hopefully go to a pet adoption event on Sunday to socialize him some more and get him micro-chipped.

Have a great weekend!

Look who we found...

I definitely can't say I am surprised, but we couldn't be happier than we are now knowing we picked Toby up off the streets!

This little guy is a very quick learner who seems older than he really is. I have no idea why a cute guy like this would be wandering along the frontage road (at least there is a fence to prevent access to the freeway), but he didn't have a collar so we took him home with us. He sure smelled (must have been rolling in road kill), but he handled bath time like a champ. He was very skeptical of me pouring water on him, but he quickly gave up fighting and rested his chin on my leg (I was sitting on the edge of the bathtub) so I could soap him up. I found about 4 large ticks a few smaller ones, but he doesn't seem to have any other issues.

I dropped him off with my vet's office this morning and the vet called to say that she thinks he is only 6-8 months old, but in very good health. He is now vaccinated against rabies and the dreaded distemper (Dave and I agreed that we would never allow another dog to go without that very valuable shot), and hanging out at my vet's until I can pick him up after work. Ruby and Amy really seem to like him, and we haven't had a problem yet.
(the foot in the air is really funny)
Toby needs to learn how to use the dog door. I don't think he has ever been inside of a house before, or even walked on a leash, for that matter. He would cautiously walk through the dog door if I held the flaps open (it is super scary because it has two flaps and goes through the wall!), but would jump back at the noise and motion of the flaps anytime one of the other dogs went through. He somehow managed to get outside in the middle of the night, though, because I found he casually laying on the back porch where he had gathered a yard-work glove, and 2 toy squirrels that had been in the house. He happily greeted me and came inside once I opened the door!

I filed reports with PACC and Humane Society, and one said give it 5 business days for someone to come forward, the other said 7-10 days. So by next Friday if no one has come looking for him, it looks like we have gained another dog!

Animal Photos - June 13

Snoopy - just woke up from one of her many naps

Ribbon - her general outlook on life :-)

Gretta - in one of her cat post houses

Ruby - trying to sleep

Duma - looking scared...even though she wasn't

Amy - half smiling, always happy

'new kid on the block'